Brockton man sentenced to life in 2010 fatal drive-by shooting

The sister of victim Moises Vicente says she holds no anger in her heart toward his killer.

Staff Reporter

BROCKTON – Four years after Michael Barros gunned down her younger brother Moises Vicente in Brockton, Aldina Alves said she holds no anger in her heart toward his killer.

“You might not hear it, but I know (God) has a plan for you, too,” she said. “I want you to know that I don’t have anger.”

Barros, 28, was found guilty of first-degree murder by a Brockton Superior Court jury and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday.

Barros, of Brockton, stood emotionless as the jury handed down its verdict. The victim’s family clung to one another and quietly sobbed, while Barros’ supporters looked on solemnly.

During an emotional impact statement after the verdict was read, Alves also read a letter from their mother, Maria Vicente, who listened as tears streamed down her face.

“I’ve been waiting for four years for justice to be served, but my son will never come back,” Alves read. “Even though he is physically gone, he still remains in our hearts forever.”

Friday’s emotional scene inside a Brockton Superior Court courtroom came after three days of jury deliberation.

The trial began on Feb. 12.

On Jan. 17, 2010, Barros was a passenger in a silver minivan and opened fire on Vicente, 23, on Hancock Street in Brockton in the middle of the day.

The case gained notoriety when the driver of the minivan – Manuel Rodrigues – was later shot to death in a Nilsson Street driveway one day before he was set to testify at a court hearing against Barros.

Two Brockton men, Joao Fernandes and Michael Goncalves have been charged with the murder of Rodrigues.

Vicente grew up in Brockton, but had moved to North Attleboro. He was in Brockton that day to visit his 2-year-old daughter and other family members when he was killed, prosecutors said.

Barros later admitted to a number of witnesses that he committed the murder.

The case was tried before Superior Court Judge Richard Chin and prosecuted by Plymouth County assistant district attorneys Jessica Healy and Jennifer Sprague.

Jurors had initially deadlocked on the murder charge on Friday, prompting Chin to order them back to deliberate. The jury returned with their verdict roughly 20 minutes later as supporters of the victim and the accused waiting anxiously outside the courtroom.

On a first-degree murder charge, convictions carry a mandatory life sentence without parole. On the second count of unlawful possession of a firearm, Barros was found not guilty. On the third, unlawful possession of ammunition, he was also found not guilty.

After the verdicts were handed down, Alves, Vicente’s older sister, gave a tearful statement to the court.

“Ever since you’ve been in jail, I’ve been praying for you,” Alves said. “I prayed that God would take you off the streets because justice needed to be served.

“But I also prayed that you wouldn’t continue on that path and hurt someone else’s family, and so you can stop and realize that your life has value too.”

Vicente’s girlfriend and the mother of their 6-year-old daughter, who did not want to be photographed or named, also addressed Barros, who remained emotionless.

Outside the courtroom, Alves, and her sister, Yvette DeGrace, embraced.

“I miss him a lot, but I know he died with a changed heart,” she said of their brother.